Age: 13 | Valcartier, Quebec
- Diagnosed with leukemia October 2008
- Pass times: Video Games, Music
- Type of Cancer: ALL (Acute lymphoblastic leukemia)
Number of years in treatment: 1.5
Biggest Challenge: Taking Medicine
Best Day: The day the doctor told me I was in remission
Worst Day: When I was told I had to wear a leg brace for at least 2 years
Message to cyclists: Thank you for bringing awareness to the fight of childhood cancer. People like you give kids fighting cancer hope and strength to keep going. It helps to know people are behind us.
Hi my name is Jakob. I am 13 years old. I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, ALL for short, in October 2008. My treatment takes a little more than 2 years. The first couple of months I had to stay in the hospital and I was very sick. I get chemotherapy, which are special drugs to kill the cancer in my blood. The chemotherapy has a lot of side effects too; I lost my hair and got very tired. My immune system, that’s the part of your body that fights infection, gets really weak also. That means I have to be really careful about germs. Part of my treatment was getting radiation to my head to make sure that the leukemia didn’t hide around my brain. The radiation made me very sick and I couldn’t walk very well so I used a wheelchair. ALL treatment takes a long time because the doctors want to make sure that no cancer cells are hiding anywhere in my blood. One of the medicines I had to take killed the bone in my ankle, so I have to wear a special brace on my leg until it heals. The doctors think it might take 2 years to get better. The first year was really hard. I couldn’t go to school or see my friends very often because I was too sick. My treatment has gotten a lot easier and I don’t have to stay in the hospital anymore. I still get chemotherapy, but it is not so rough. I am almost done!! My treatment is going to be over in December 2010. I was able to go back to school and I can do almost everything I used to before I got sick.
In my life outside of treatment I am just like you. I like hanging out with my friends, listening to music and having fun. The Beatles are my favorite music group. My favorite books are the New Heroes series. My best vacation was going to see Paul McCartney in concert. When I grow up I want to be either an airplane pilot or a therapist who works with kids who have cancer.
